"The Jesus Paradigm"

I'm not sure I want to read this book. It may make me very uncomfortable.

The Jesus Paradigm is a new book authored by Dr. David Alan Black. I trust Dr. Black because he was my professor at seminary, I have enjoyed other books he has written, and he is trying to live out what he believes.

I received an advance copy of the text and will be blogging about it as I make my way through it.

In this book, Dr. Black calls upon Christians to live lives of radical, sacrificial discipleship. He calls for a restoration of the church to what it was in its early years. Because of this, the author is challenging many of the ways we "do church." This will cause the readers (including me) to squirm as we are forced to look at our own lives and the lives of our churches.

To provide a flavor of what Dr. Black has to say, here are some quotes from the book's preface:

"I now realize I exist for one reason: to live for Jesus by serving others in his name. I was raised to think that the world exists for me. Now I realize that I exist for the world."

"(Christianity) is a new society living out the ethics of the kingdom of God. It is a radical, Christ-centered, martyr movement."

"Orthodoxy is incomplete - a disastrous aberration even - without orthopraxy."

"Theologically, the only commitment Christians are to have is to be Christ's witnesses, to proclaim his kingdom, and to preach the life-changing Gospel to all who will listen."

This is going to be a difficult book for me to read. In fact, the only reason I'm doing it is because of my great respect for Dr. Black. I may end up a bit black-and-blue by the end of the book, but I'm sure it will be worth it.

If you are interested in ordering this book, click here.